Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri on Tuesday, January 13 called on the government to intervene to address a brewing sugar crisis as mill gate prices slide below production costs.

Zubiri said farmers are having a hard time recovering with the rising prices of farm inputs, thus, the government should immediately step in to address the problem hounding the sugar industry.

While the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) decision to pause sugar imports for 2026 is a welcome move, he stressed that the industry still need stronger, direct intervention to prevent more sugar farmers from bleeding.

“They need more help beyond this pause on sugar imports, whether that is through capital infusion, or through a government buying program that will ensure stable income for our sugar farmers and workers, and equitable prices for consumers,” he said.

“We need a strong and decisive DA and SRA to stabilize the mill gate price of sugar,” the lawmaker further declared. 

Likewise, Zubiri pushed for maximized utilization of the Sugar Development Fund under the Sugar Industry Development Act, as this will translate to visible support that farmers can feel on the ground, especially during periods of sustained losses.

“We pour a billion pesos into the Sugar Development Fund every year, so I hope that this is reaching our farmers,” he said.

He said it is imperative for the SRA to rescue sugar farmers by providing better infrastructure, credit and research and development support. 

“If we can maximize the use of the SDF now, we can even push for its increase, so we can help many of our farmers,” he said.

The senator noted that mill gate prices have been dismal since the start of the sugar milling season last October 2025, dropping from P2,200 per 50-kilogram bag of sugar in October to P2,075 in the last week of December. 

In comparison, sugar fetched somewhere between P2,400 and P2,500 per bag during the 2024 milling season.

“What used to be P2,500 per bag of raw sugar is now down to P2,000 per bag, while the costs of labor, fertilizer and pesticides have been increasing,” he added.

“P300 to P500 loss per bag of sugar is already heavy for sugar farmers. How can they support their family, pay the salary of their workers, and prepare for the next crop season if they earn nothing this year?” he pointed out.

“We cannot leave our farmers to deal with this crisis on their own. When tens and thousands of already marginalized farmers are operating at a loss, the government has to step in,” Zubiri stressed.